Royal Automobile Club announces winners of its 2023 Motoring Book of the Year Awards
The Royal Automobile Club presented its tenth annual Motoring Book of The Year Award to Driven to Crime: True stories of wrongdoing in motor racing by Crispian Besley, and published by EVRO, at a prestigious London ceremony last night.
Besley’s intriguing book represented more than 10 years of investigations and research, and lifted the lid on the various misdemeanours at all levels of motor sport. The book was a huge hit with all the judges and they were unanimous in crowning it their ultimate Motoring Book of the Year.
“The motor racing world is filled with stories involving drivers, team owners, manufacturers and sponsors behaving badly, and this fantastic book highlights the many cases that have made headlines in various ways,” said judge Christian Whitehead. “We Brits love a good true crime story, and this book was very hard to put down. Kidnapping, murder, drug-smuggling, robbery, cheating, corruption, punch-ups and downright dangerous driving are all represented well in this thoroughly researched book.”
First-time author Besley said: “Where there’s money, there’s crime – and there’s a lot of money in motor sport. For me it was about joining up the dots as I collected information. People were very honest with me in talking about their lives, although they didn’t always want to be quoted. But it’s not just about drivers; there are dodgy sponsors and team owners in here too. ” He revealed to the audience that he is already working on a second volume.
Earlier in the evening, world-renowned automotive historian and author Karl Ludvigsen received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contribution to the UK’s motoring book industry. With a parallel career in car design, manufacturing and racing, he also gave sage insight on today’s industry.
“I have never known a time when there is so much chaos, and I don’t envy managers at all,” said Ludvigsen. “But it’s also an exciting time, with so many new things coming along – all-electric motor racing, for example, and new makes of car. So much has already been done but there are always gaps.”
Ludvigsen has had an eminent career in the automotive industry with senior posts held at General Motors, Fiat Motors of North America, and Ford of Europe. He moved from the USA to Britain in 1980, and later founded his consultancy business Ludvigsen Associates.
In a writing career spanning 65 years, Ludvigsen has penned more than 60 titles, and is a leading authority on the history of Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and the Chevrolet Corvette.
From his first book, an MG Guide published in 1958, he has written significant works about high-performance engines, biographies of Ferdinand Porsche, Reid Railton, and Lotus founder Colin Chapman, and profiles of prominent racing drivers such as Stirling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio and Alberto Ascari.
In a fascinating conversation with host Simon Taylor, he revealed his next title, the three-volume Power Unleashed charting the development of supercharging and turbocharging, is to be published in 2024, which coincides with his 90th birthday. Indicative of his extraordinary thoroughness, Ludvigsen started researching the topic in the early 1970s and the book will have taken 15 years to complete. His passion for cars and books remains on full throttle.
Meanwhile, Andy Saunders was awarded Best Debut Author for his book The Automotive Alchemist. A vividly illustrated celebration of this design genius’s work. His book provides fascinating insight into Saunders’ imagination and workshop as he deconstructs and then rebuilds each vehicle, laying bare his motivations, influences and passions. The narrative covers the work involved in the creating 60 unique cars, 42 of which now reside in museums and private collections across the world.
Saunders said of his work: “It’s been an absolute rollercoaster. I never did any homework when I was at school, to the extent that they wouldn’t even let me sit my English GCE! But I wrote this book because someone said to me: ‘If you don’t put down what you’ve done before you pop your clogs then no-one will know about it.”
Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, commented: “The awards, now in their tenth year, are globally recognised and celebrate the very best in automotive publishing. Authors and publishers from around the world submitted a record-breaking 56 titles this year, from compelling biographies and crime stories to marque-specific histories.
“No comparable event in the English language does so much to reward such high achievements within motoring and motoring racing books. The calibre for 2023 has been more impressive than ever – our independent expert judges really had their work cut out, so I’d like to extend an enormous thank-you to them for their diligence and enthusiasm “
The Royal Automobile Club awarded four category winners in addition to the overall winner, and best debut author. All category winners are listed below.
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Lifetime Achievement Award
Karl Ludvigsen
The Motoring Book of the Year
Driven To Crime
By Crispian Besley
Evro Publishing, priced £40.00
Motoring Book of Year (Below £50)
Max Hoffman Million Dollar Middleman
By Myles Kornblatt
Veloce Publishing Ltd, priced £30.00
Motoring Book of the Year (No Price Limit)
Kim A Biography of MG Founder Cecil Kimber
By Jon Pressnell
Dalton Watson Fine Books, priced £115.00
Motorsport Book of the Year (Below £50)
Speed Queens: A secret history of women in motorsport
By Rachel Harris-Gardiner
Pen & Sword Books Ltd, priced £22.00
Motorsport Book of the Year (No Price Limit)
Bentley Speed 8: The Comprehensive Story of Bentley’s Last Le Mans Winner
By Andrew Cotton
Sportfahrer Verlag, priced £225.00
Graham Robson Award for Best Debut Author
Andy Saunders, The Automotive Alchemist
Dalton Watson Fine Books, priced £90.00
